WHEN you think of a typical American, whom do you picture? A pretty blond white American like Taylor Swift? Or a handsome black American like President Barack Obama or basketball star Kobe Bryant? In fact, there was a time when the average American looked like none of these people.
Back in the year 1500, the average American was a brown-skinned hunter-gatherer who probably rode a horse and wore clothing made from animal skins. Today, these people－who usually identify themselves based on their individual tribes such as Iriquois, Apache and Navajo－are broadly referred to as “Native Americans”, “American Indians” or simply “Indians”.
There’s a chance that you’ve never even heard of American Indians. That’s because there aren’t very many left. When the European settlement of North America began, there were fierce conflicts between the settlers from overseas and these native peoples. After the British government and military were expelled (赶走) in the Revolutionary War, conflicts with natives continued as the states were created that would later make up the US. In these conflicts, millions of natives were killed.
In 1830, president Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. This act required all Indians to migrate to the west of the Mississippi River to allow for the expansion of the US. American Indians were treated as a military “enemy” until 1924, when the few Indians still alive at that point were granted US citizenship. That was the first time that the US government formally recognized Indians as human beings.
While the story of the American Indians has been a sad one, these peoples’ legacies (遗产) are still felt every day in the US. Many US geographical names come from Indian languages, such as Ohio, Topeka, Kansas, and the Potomac River. At the same time, there are numerous successful academics and other important US leaders who are descended from Indians. And nowadays, more and more history classes in US public schools are educating students about how Indians suffered during the settlement of the US. I was lucky enough to take such a history class in high school. I sincerely believe that if we want a better future, we must look carefully and honestly at the past.
56. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
A. Few American Indians have achieved success due to their poor living conditions.
B. Today few Americans know about how Indians suffered during the settlement of the US.
C. In the past, most of the American Indians lived in the states of Ohio and Kansas.
D. Since the year 1924, American Indians have been recognized as US citizens.
57. What does the article mainly talk about?
A. The sad story of American Indians. B. How the American Indians succeeded in the US.
C. What a typical American is like. D. American Indians’ economic impact on the US.
58. How does the passage mainly develop?
A. By providing examples. B. By making comparisons.
C. By following the order of time. D. By following the order of importance.